16/09/12
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Lluís Ribas, 1949 ~ Luminist Figurative painter

Ribas was born in Masnou, Spain, a coastal town in the Maresme district near Barcelona. Ribas spent hours on the beach tracing his first drawings in the sand. His mother dreamed of a life for him that would be less difficult than that of a fisherman. At nine years of age he began studying drawing and painting with Jose Maris Martinez.

He entered the “Escuela Massana” in Barcelona when he was 13. At the age of 25, Ribas held his first one-man exhibition which immediately earned him international acclaim. Since then, Ribas has continued to show his works in some of the most prestigious galleries in Europe and the United States. To date, five books have been published about his paintings.

Lluís Ribas is one of the best known luministas of contemporary Spanish art. His profound knowledge of the secrets of light, shade and opaqueness are present throughout his work. His female forms are classics - brilliantly executed and exquisitely drawn. His palette contains a wide range of colors which give his paintings their great beauty.

The son of fishermen parents, Ribas learned the vicissitudes of a life dependent upon the sea at an early age. In spite of this, he always felt an affinity for the beach as it represented a point of departure for the horizon that marked the beginning of an adventure across the waters.

As a young artist, Ribas chose the sea, with its continuous harmonic movement as another favorite theme, which he translates to his canvas with an emotional precision few have mastered.

For Ribas, time is not important. He is an artist who prefers to work slowly - continuously defying his vision in a never-ending search for aesthetic. Although his successful career already spans more than twenty years, Ribas does not produce the quantity of paintings that others may, but each canvas is highly desired by galleries and collectors alike. Ribas is not a prolific painter. His disciplined manner of painting requires years of planning for an exhibition.